BironTale: A New Undertale Fanfiction !
by NasranSalleh
Summary: Biron was in the mood for adventure; thus his ascent to Mount Ebott began. However, what he would get is more than just an adventure... His body was in freefall for a minute or so, till he found himself below the surface of the Earth: the Underground; home of the species called Monsters. Can Biron make his way home? Will he survive?
1. Chapter 1

I could hear my old man and mom; their footsteps non-stop inside the beloved wooden home. I could also hear Little Sis's cries; she seemed to have lost her white toy kitten with strange fur. While they were all running errands, I lay on my bed, without a care in the world.

As I turned around in my comfy mattress, I then felt a pull on my blanket. At first, it was a weak pull, but the second one was stronger that I lost contact with the blanket.

"Son, it is 9 in the morning," my old man said. "Please wake up!"

Feeling groggy, I wanted to continue sleeping, but the old man beat my shoulder up several times. Thus, I got up anyway. Instant shower and breakfast followed. I began the day at 10.

It was a beautiful morning. The birds were singing, flowers blooming, and children playing in the playground near my home. My adopted kitten was chasing a frog, while another looked at me with its cute eyes. Sadly, I had no time to play with either of them, for I had to embark on an epic journey.

Lucky for me, the weather was good. The weatherman reported of beautiful weather, little chance of rain or thunderstorm. I feared the latter, for it could destroy not only homes, but also daily plans. I made a call to my trusted friend, the taxi driver, Mr. Raju, who arrived in the nick of time. How he did it remained a mystery.

"Good morning to you, kid," Mr. Raju greeted me.

"Good morning to you, too, good friend," I replied.

"Off to where?"

"Mount Ebott, please."

"Mount Ebott?"

"Yeah. I could do with some fresh air up there."

Mr. Raju grinned and drove on.

The taxi arrived at Mount Ebott. It took 30 minutes, but no matter how long, it was always going to be sweet riding with Mr. Raju.

"Thanks," I said as I shook his hand.

"You're most welcome," he replied with his usual grin, while his mustache resembled a smile, too.

It was an exciting moment, for I had never reached Mount Ebott before. No one in my family ever did, so it could count as a historic moment. Either way, I was overjoyed.

I saw a cave in the mountain, and it as if cried out to anyone who saw it, to enter and explore its mysteries. From afar, it definitely looked mysterious; just what I needed because I love adventure.

I carefully set foot into the cave. I had to be extra careful at the same time; who knows what could pop up out of nowhere and attack? I was also eager to find some hidden stuff, for places like these usually house treasure.

Legends also said that those who climbed up the mountain, never got back down. Whether or not that was true, I did not care, for my enthusiasm overshadowed my fear.

I was already a few inches into the cave. I looked around but saw nothing.

 _No matter_ , I thought. Time to march on.

March on I did, only to slip off after my right foot collided with a vine. I lost my balance, and fell to a hole in the middle of the cave.

I screamed loudly.

There was no one to rescue me; I had the impression that my bones would break once I make contact with the ground; my brain would shatter; blood would spill out like spilled milk from a large bottle.

Eyes closed; anticipating the worst as I quickly make my descent to the core of the earth.


	2. Chapter 2

My eyes finally opened.

It has been a while, and I could not remember a thing, except for the moments when my body floated above the ground. Still, after all that; somehow I survived.

I could move my hands. My legs were fine. There were no signs of blood. Instead, I noticed a bouquet of yellow flowers beneath my feet.

There was a row full of yellow flowers. They must have kept me alive. _Wow!_

The fall was already an adventure in itself, and I thought it would be better to go home now. The problem is, I fell deep under, and I might be stuck here for a while.

"Hello?" I screamed. "Is anybody up there? I am down here! Hello?!"

My screams were all to no avail. It seemed nobody was brave enough to venture the uncharted territories of Mount Ebott.

I was reminded of the legend of the mountain; now it made more sense.

I sat beside the flowers, my only company at the time, pondering my fate.

After much thought, I stood up.

Little did I care about the legend anymore, for I was determined to make my way home. I was very much motivated by my troubles; to solve it, and that was by reaching home and possible dinner.

The underground felt strange, dark, gloomy, though not necessarily creepy. I only walked a few metres and already spotted an arch. Without hesitation, I crossed it. There was no other way anyway.

The second, or maybe the third, thing I spotted was a flower. A single flower, and with a face. That was unusual, from where I came from.

"Howdy!" the flower said to me as I approached.

"My name is Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" it continued.

I was wondering if the flower was actually a cowboy in disguise, or something else I could not explain.

I tried to be nice and said, "Hi! The name is Biron."

"Howdy, Biron!" Flowey exclaimed. "You're new to the Underground, aren't 'cha?"

Flowey's Southern accent was a pleasant retreat from mine. For a while, I felt like I met a new friend.

"Sure," I replied.

"Someone ought to teach you how things work around here. I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go!"

"Go on."

"LOVE keeps the world go round. You want some LOVE, don't you?"

"Anything to keep me safe and sound."

"Why, LOVE can do more than that, pardner!"

I nodded. "Fine. Give me some love, then."

The anthromorphic flower went on. "Here, love is shared through...little white friendliness pellets."

The 'friendliness pellets' formed a circle around Flowey. It was meant for me.

"Here, take these!"

I grabbed one, but suddenly, I felt a rush on my body. My body vibrated, as if I touched electricity and lit up.

"Hey! What is that for?"

The flower's facial expression changed. No longer did he show his innocent-looking grin and small eyes. Instead, it morphed into a more sinister look.

"You idiot," Flowey said with his devilish grin. "In this world, it's KILL or BE KILLED! Now, DIE!"

The pellets circled around me and got closer. I could not move my body to safety; it was held tightly by the flower's long vines.

Suddenly, the pellets disappeared. Flower looked confused.

"Wha…what happened? Where are my pellets?"

Then, a fireball came crashing towards the flower, pushing him elsewhere. The vines that held me were gone as well. Thank God.

A mysterious old goat lady appeared in front of me.

"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…"

"Erm…" I was speechless.

"Ah, do not be afraid, my child!" the goat lady said to me with a warm smile. "I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins!"

"Mrs. Toriel…"

"Please, just call me Toriel."

"Toriel," I asked again, "what is it that you do here?"

"I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down."

"Oh, I see."

"You are the first to have fallen in a long, long time, my child. Come!"

I was wondering where she would take me, but she ensured me everything was going to be all right. So, I was more relaxed.


	3. Chapter 3

There was something peculiar regarding the goat lady named Toriel.

As if the events that transpired around me were not peculiar enough, I could feel something when I held on to Toriel's large, fluffy hands.

Her demeanor was pleasant; she appeared to be very loving and kind. Sometimes, those traits spoke for themselves of the lady; it is not easy to find a random stranger who would treat you that way, especially not on the surface world.

Somehow, she came across as too kind, for reasons yet clear to me. Her insistence to call me her 'child' was unpleasant at first, but being in a tough situation, I refused to interrupt.

At one point, she did ask about me.

"My child," she uttered. "What may your name be?"

"I am Biron," I replied with a smile as I rubbed off sweat.

Toriel giggled. "That is a wonderful name, my child."

She gripped my left hand tightly as we patrolled what is called The Ruins, an otherworldly area decorated by purple bricks and equally peculiar leaves.

Once we got quite far, I began to feel suspicious. My sights were adjusted to the surroundings, but they seemed dull for my taste. I also came across frogs and flies, whom are all described as Monsters. They meant no harm, even though hostile at first. Still, I was uncomfortable being in foreign territory. On the surface world, I never travelled to another country.

"I want to know, Mrs. Toriel."

She turned to me with a warm smile; her exposed upper teeth became prominent. "What is it, my child?"

"Where are you taking me exactly?"

Toriel's smile remained. "Home."

"Home?"

"Yes, my child. Home. It is where you belong."

A charmed beauty she is. Somehow, she reminded me of my own mother, who I thought might be worried sick.


	4. Chapter 4

I was more that certain, that hours had passed, since I fell to that place.

Hours. Not minutes, not seconds.

Hours.

I sat on a dated wooden chair, looking at the clock which showed that it was 6.00 pm. From there, it appeared to me that the Monsters in the Underground followed a timing style similar to the humans in the surface world.

 _This is great,_ I felt. _No need to change anything, then._

Toriel safely transported me, and herself, back to her home. From afar, I could see it was a wonderful house, of clay and wattles made; a pleasant sight for my then young eyes.

Since the pavements were mostly purple in the Ruins, I anticipated purple floors in Toriel's home, but was surprised when I got in to see the tiles were light brown. It reminded me of my own home.

Toriel stood beside me, her hands rested between her hips. "Do you smell that?"

Indeed; I smelled something delightful.

"It's cinnamon-butterscotch pie!" Toriel uttered, while her increasingly familiar facial expression showed. "I baked it just for you, my child."

I was out of words. "Tha…thanks," was all I could manage.

"However, before that, I want you to follow me."

I did as ordered, and after a while we reached a door.

"This, is your room. It is not much, but I hope you like it, dear."

She pet my head. Then, she retreated to the kitchen, presumably to prepare the butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I love pie.

I did not know why, but I felt the love of a mother from her touch.

While she was occupied with the food, I went inside the room to take a nap in the small but comfortable bed. I was reasonably tired; too tired to continue on my way out.

So far, it was not too bad.

I woke up the next day, sometime around 6.00 a.m. in the morning. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was, unsurprisingly, the ceiling, but I received the smell from the day before. Apparently, Toriel sent a slice of her special pie on the floor of my room.

Toriel opened the door. "Greetings, my child."

I yawned like the child I was. "Greetings, Mom."

Mom. I just called her Mom.

Toriel's eyes widened. She looked shocked. "Did you just call me…Mom?"

She followed it with a giggle. "Very well…You can call me whatever you want, as long as it satisfies you."

She pet and kissed my forehead before leaving.

Strange it was, but she warmed my heart. And that she prepared a slice of pie with love touched me. It felt like home, except that it is many feet under the surface.


	5. Chapter 5

Toriel had her nose buried under a book titled 'General Education for Dummies'.

I got busy, too. The room was not going to clean itself. As I moved along, I opened the cupboard. The cupboard was filled with striped shirts of many colors. The shirts were of various sizes, too. To whom they belonged, I had no clue.

There were also children jeans and shorts, but I was intrigued by a long-sleeved black shirt with bright red stripes on the torso. Looked like a piece of art, so I put them on. Not that Toriel would mind.

Sliced bread and lime juice prepared on the table; I took a seat and dined. Toriel was, at this stage, preoccupied with ways to educate the masses.

"Toriel."

"Yes, my child?"

She took the time to compliment my choice of clothing, but I wanted to know something else.

"Why are you reading a General Education book?"

Toriel smiled. "This is a very good book. It's informative!"

"Mm, hmm...," I mumbled.

Toriel continued, "Why, to tell you the truth, I always wanted to be a teacher."

I nodded.

"Actually," Toriel said, "I STILL want to be a teacher."

Her eyes got smaller and her smile disappeared, albeit temporarily.

"Well," Toriel sighed, "enough about me. What about you, my child? What do you wish to become when you grow up?"

A tough question but an important one, especially because I had only a few years before deciding whether or not to enter vocational college.

"I..." I scratched my head. "I want to become a successful wizard!"

Toriel laughed out loud. "You silly little beauty! But, please, what do you really intend to become when you grow up?"

She got me thinking a lot. Not many could do that.

"To be honest...I want to become a...computer programmer!"

That was the closest answer I could give. I do love computers, although never tried writing a single line of code. My interest was more towards the maintenance and upgrading stuff, making sure the PC at home works like a stallion instead of a turtle.

Toriel nodded. "Good choice, dear! I'm proud of you! I hope you will do well pursuing your dreams."

I grinned and gave a nod of approval.

The clock ticked away. Morning turned to evening. While all was good at Toriel's, I could not help but feel sorry for my parents. Pretty sure they would assume I went missing. The police should have been informed by now, so they would be on the lookout for me.

However, it came as a big question mark whether they would find me in the depths of the Underground. Especially since I ventured deeper and deeper into the Ruins.

It was night time. I could use some fresh air, so a visit to a certain rooftop was very much appreciated. The dated, partially demolished and destroyed castles dotted the area beneath me.

Little to no Monsters were seen, except for an ageing anthropomorphic frog dressed in a fine little tuxedo, who looked lime having a good time. The frog reminded me to keep watch on Toriel, but in a good way.

The focus on the Ruins below; I gathered my thoughts. It was now or never. Not a time to waste anymore.  
"Time to make my move."

I stormed back into Toriel's home, and saw here standing in front of her bookshelf, as usual with her warmth.

"My child..."

I made my intentions clear. "How can I go home?"

Toriel looked puzzled. "I do not understand you. This is your home, is it not?"

I retorted. "How can I go home, up there?"

The intent was clear enough, that Toriel shrugged. Her smile transformed into a frown. It was as if she felt distressed and disturbed. What, I wonder? Why does she react that way? I only asked one question.

"I will be right back," she told me before walking speedily to the basement.  
I may have crossed the line.

...

"Here lies the exit of the Ruins," Toriel said.

"Interesting," I replied.

She kneeled so she could look straight to me. She held my hands.  
"My child," she said, "many have come before you. They are all very good children." Her eyes told of fear and despair. "I have seen them all. They come. They leave. And then..."

"And then," I asked, "what, Toriel?"

Toriel wept. "They die."

At that moment, doubts circled my mind. Questions started to be asked. Regardless, Toriel had more to say.

"My child...I have no choice, but to end the bloodshed...I need to destroy the exit."

"What?"

"Do you not see, my child? I do not want this. I do not wish for this! I cannot bear seeing another precious soul get hurt or tortured or even corrupted and later taken away from me. The children before you were all precious to me. They still are."

"But, Toriel, I also have a family to take care of. I am pretty sure they are worried sick..."

She let go of my hand.

Toriel was overcome with sadness, tears rolling down her beautiful eyes. She muttered, "Oh, my child" ...you will leave me, and you will die. I do not wish for this. Please, let me protect you. Go back to your room."

So, there were humans who fell down here before me. A bombshell was dropped. A mystery partly solved.

"NO!" I stated. "I want to go home!"

Toriel covered her eyes with her long hands. "Very well, then..."

Sparkles of flame lit up, out of nowhere, floating just above her palms.

She stood tall; her face resembling a menacing monster who just got out of her cage.

"Prove me wrong, child!" Toriel exclaimed. "Prove to me you are strong enough to survive!"

Toriel summoned her flaming fireballs to my path. The fireballs were rapid, I had to really brace the heat to get away, literally. After a few strikes, she kept coming. More of them came my way.

Soon, I got hit. Part of my arm fell victom to the flaming wreck. It was not paralyzed, but I knew I had to be more careful.

She stopped.

"Toriel, please!" I screamed. "I do not want to fight you."

"I do not want to fight you, too, my child. However, I have to do what is best..."

"So, killing me will solve everything? Is that what you want?"

"I do NOT want to see you die!"

Her attacks become stronger. She yelled her heart out and I could also hear a unique battle cry, something never heard before.

"YAAAGGGHHHH!"

I ducked and sprinted as much as I could with the little space I have to manouevre. Either luck, or the fact that I took weekly exercises, which helpes me become more flexible in a way, thus allowing me to do things like transition from duck to run or sprint in a split second.

Like drinks, luck runs out. And so it appeared.

The fire hit my right hand, hard. It was too much to bear, thus I trembled to the ground. I cried out for help, but there was no one in sight. Toriel was gasping; she may be tired after all that, but she was closing in on me.

I felt it was the end. Toriel was going to say I was not strong enough. She coild just as well finish me.

But that did not happen.

"Oh, my child..." she struggled to recover me.

"What have I done? I was supposed to protect you, but instead I hurt you." She was crying again.

"It...is all right," I stuttered. "I am not dead..."

...

Toriel got me up on my feet. My hand was bandaged, and then we were at the basement again, this time in front of a large door.

"This is it, my child," she said. "I am sorry that is has to be this way..."

"Do not be sorry," I replied. "I understand how you feel, but I hope you realize that I have needs, too, and I want you to appreciate that."

Toriel nodded.

"So, err...have I proven myself?"

Toriel nodded again. "Yes, you have."

The smile was back on her face.

"While on your way, please do not forget me, child. Do not hesitate to call."

"I will."

"Oh, how I am going to miss you..."

Toriel hugged my frail body. I hugged her back. I felt something watery in my eye.

"I will miss you, too," I said. "Mom."

Toriel chuckled. "Be a good child, okay?"

I waved goodbye to her. Then, I opened the door to walk away... 


	6. Chapter 6

The enjoyment was paramount; the cooking satisfactory; the children a bunch of candy in a candy jar, where each is of different color and taste.

Perhaps the collection of sweets is a fitting resemblance to all encounters in life as well, not just people. The bittersweet moments I embraced back in the Ruins were put in the shade; I shed a tear as I left a lovely woman who took good care of me for the past few days.

The feet continued to walk while I regained my conscience. In front of me was darkness in all its horrifying, vicious glory.

Flowey took the time to pile up on my misery; he was one who would love to take advantage at any given situation.

When I looked at Flowey with his menacing grin, I could not help myself. The pain, the anger, the fury; I already knew who he was. Only this time m, I would not let him play me. No one - not even a spineless, heartless, miserable creature - plays me.

The flower grinned. "Cleeverrr."

My head was tilted up and I stared angrily at him. "Happy now?"

"You get to play by your own rules," Flowey continued. "It's been a while since I saw such incredible feat. Let me think...oh wait, I know how that went!"

"I know you now, freak..."

"So you know what happens when you play by your own rules, boy? They are KILLED! Ahahahahah!"

"I am certain you did this."

"Biron, Biron," his tone sounded more sinister in nature. "Many have came before you. The ballet dancer, the nerd, the black hero, the Western cowboy, and they all met the same fate, just because they did not listen to me!"

I grabbed the flower by its bottom. Had it been up to me, it would have been ripped off the ground. "You LISTEN here, Flowey! I do not care about your rules, and I certainly am not as weak as you think!"

Flowey shook in my hands. "B...but...let me go...!"

"I could destroy you now, but for whatever reason you tricked me. I thought you were there to help, but you opened my eyes."

Flowey unleashed sharp spikes; blood spurted out of my right hand. I grimaced in pain as I nursed my hand.

"Yes, I did. And I enjoy it. I enjoy causing hurt to those who do not play by my rules. You will suffer down here, kiddo, and there is NO ONE to truly help you..."

"Shut up!" I exclaimed. "That woman behind the door...she loved me with all my heart. She was nothing like you! We come in different shapes and sizes, not all are alike! I wish you would understand, but..."

Flowey's eyes rolled. "Oh yeah? W...well...you stink and you are probably going to die upon entering the next area. It's so cold and dark, it will freeze your heart. Plus, the Royal Guards take no prisoners if they spot you. Hehehe..."

"Whoever it is, I am here for one thing, and one thing only. And your relevance in that part is zero. We are through, and the next time I see you, I am going to END you."

Flowey giggled. "Oh, Biron...do you not know my power? Do you not see it? Do you not feel it? DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M CAPABLE OF DOING?!"  
NOW?!"

Flowey had me wrapped in his vines again. This time, his height extended a metre and he looked increasingly vile, like a spooky tree in a spooky forest.

He could not stop chuckling. He finally did when he said, "Perhaps I wasted my time long enough talking to a useless scum like you."

"Let...go of me...you double-crossing...son of a..."

The grip tightened around my stomach and even got my neck. A horrendous struggle it was becoming. I could smell death.

"You know, I should have just killed you when I found you back in the Ruins, and then take your damned soul with me! Too bad you are a stubborn kid who cried to mommy Toriel, 'Waaahhh! That flower bit me!' and she is always so helpful and caring, 'Oh, my baby, are you okay? Let me' Oh, it's so laughable!"

I could still move my hands, but not by a long stretch. "What...is...your... problem?"

"Oh, I do not have a problem. It's just that...IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED!"  
Flowey burst out laughing like a maniac; he was also summoning some sort of weapon from his large petals. It looked a terrifying, hideous object but was pulling me closer into it as I looked at it.

I found the toy knife. It was do or die. With all the strength I could muster I managed to cut a portion of the vines and made a run for it. Flowey groaned in pain.

"Useless moron!" he exclaimed. "I will get you next time!"

I left through a door, and reached a forest so dark it reminded me of my earlier thoughts about monster trees. I never knew whether or not monster trees do exist down there, but my fingers were crossed. Anything could happen at that moment.

I walked carefully along the only path I could find. The singing of birds and bats surrounded the forest. Screeches emanated from a nearby bush, but the mind was bothered with getting out safely, that there was no urgency to check. 


	7. Chapter 7

Time is a strange thing.

Time moved slow, like a turtle moving its shell off the sea shore when I came across things that were of little relevance or importance. But then, time proved to be dynamic, for the clock ticked like a sprinter circling an oval with all his might, whenever I met like-minded people, play my favorite games, and do things that make me happy and content.

For the most part, time itself helped heal my past wounds, literally. My hand stopped bleeding.  
Still, I wrapped it as precaution.

The walk was not going to end till I arrive at my real home. Thus, the journey thick, dense forest, covered in snow. The eyes - wearing by the minute - struggled to adjust to the sight of the wood and branches. It was only through a minor blink, that it came to light the existence of a bridge of wood.

A peculiar bridge it was, for there were wooden fences in between that presumably were meant to restrict movement. I assumed the bridge was a transit area, where Monsters would be checked before being let through.

No one was guarding the bridge, and the second time I noticed, the huge gap between the wooden poles made it child's play to trespass.

 _Splendid_ , I thought.

The feet marched forward at a faster pace to cross the bridge. The eyes were locked to the front, that it lost sight of a misplaced branch. I trembled and landed on my face.

I attempted to get up. That was when I heard footsteps which unsurprisingly sent chills down my spine. The singing of the birds halted; the swish of waters remained the way it was.

"Kid," said a voice from behind. "Do you not know how to greet a new pal?"

I feared an ambush of any sort. Nonetheless, I stood still.

The stranger crept in. "Turn around and shake my hand..."

The resistance was strong, for it was best to avoid whatever conflicts. However, I eventually insisted to shake the stranger's hand. I felt the hand as being uncharacteristically hard but brittle.

All of a sudden, I felt a surge through my body. Everything went blank in an instant. My body was static on the icy route.

It was going to be one of those days.

Eyes opened; I was greeted by the sound of a wall clock going wild; the woodpecker bursting out like a circus act to wake me up from my slumber.

"Where the heck am I?" I asked.

I got no response at first. Then came the sound of familiar footsteps.

"Heya, kid."

A skeleton's head emerged, upside down, in front of mine. I trembled off the couch and onto the mat.

I was baffled. "Wh...what are you...?"

"The name is Sans," the skeleton presented itself. "Sans the skeleton."

"What did you do to me? Why am I here? Where..."

"Whoa there! That's too many questions for a simple guy like me to answer, kiddo."

I took a deep breath, then released. "O-okay. One by one, then."

"I am usually seen walking near my post just outside of town, on the lookout for humans. It's part of what I do here. Heck, that's all I ever do."

Sans chuckled. "But, y'know, I don't even care about capturing a human."

"Capture a human?" I muttered. "You did just fine by the look of things."

"Yeah," Sans turned to me, "looks like I did."

"Look," I said, "Sam, I don't mean to be rude, but I want to get myself out of here."

Sans' face changed a bit. Not that it was obvious. Skeletons were not the best in showing facial changes respective to emotion. "Get yourself out of...?"

I sighed before blabbering on. "I was in Mount Ebott, happily walking when suddenly, I tripped over something and fell down here. On the way, I met some...friendly Monsters. However, I still need to find a way out. I am running late for dinner!"

I gave dinner as an excuse, even though it looked very, very unlikely that I could get home in time.

Sans nodded. "So did you kill any of the friendly Monsters?"

"Of course not," I replied. "Except there was one annoying little flower..."

Sans gave a painfully terrifying stare at my path. A ball of fire engulfed on his left eye socket, too, causing discomfort to my sight. I could feel the ball burning my retina.

The short but stable skeleton eventually stopped, then he giggled. "So you are not lying. Now, about the flower..."

I was running out of patience. "Brother, thanks a lot for capturing me, but now I have to go! My mom needs me!"

"Chill, kid. You look so uptight. Why not you go change into something more...smellicious?"

No amount of knowledge helped in comprehending the last word he said.

Sans looked in a great mood. "No offense, kid, but you smell like spoiled cheese!"

That made sense. I had not showered for a long time. I walked the forest for a long, long time, till I ended up at the skeleton's beautiful home.

"Fine, I will change! Where should I change?"

"Anywhere," he replied with a smirk.

Nevertheless, I eventually changed into used overalls, which comprised of red long-sleeved shirt and completed with blue suspenders. Sans broke into the bathroom, offering a red hat. I refused, for I was in love with my own hair.

"Suit yourself," Sans sighed. "But do not go crying when your beautiful hair gets the g-rain-ed!"

Sans was not making sense. I decided to ignore him for a moment.

"SAAAANNNSS!"

I trembled. "Who on earth...?"

Sans put his index finger on his lips. "Relax, kid. It is my little brother..."

The brother wasted no time; he smashed the door aside, making his presence felt. The skeleton was taller compared to his older counterpart. His clothing resembled that of a hippie-superhero wannabe, a combination of which was of no relevance to my thought process.

The brother turned to me, and then back to Sans. He went back and forth countless times it looked like his head was going to pop off.

"My BROTHER! You have captured a HUMAN!"

The encounter with the Skeleton Brothers was looking like a rough ride. 


	8. Chapter 8

"HUMAN!"

"Hey, chill, bro. He's just an ordinary..."

"HUMAN! It is I, the great Papyrus, future captain of the Royal Guard!"

Words could not describe what was going through the mind at that point.

"Sans," asked Papyrus, "I applaud you because, for the first time in a long time, you finally did something INCREDIBLE!"

The lanky skeleton was full of excitement. "Does the human have a name? Have you two been getting to know each other?"

"Heck yeah!" exclaimed Sans. "Kid, do not be afraid. Just speak up. My bro is an...interesting individual."

I nodded. "S-sure. Why not?"

"I am Biron," I said. "I am currently stranded here in the Underground. I do not know where I am right now, but your brother has been kind enough to lend me these clothes. It's nice to meet you, but I really need to leave..."

Papyrus interrupted. "Leave? But we have not started to have fun!"

Sans whispered to me, "Bro likes to play games. They are simple enough..."

I interrupted Sans. "I do not care for that! I just want to get home."

Papyrus retorted. "You are not going anywhere, young one! Your duty is to join the great Papyrus in a set of challenging, mind-boggling...puzzles!"

Oh, great.

I sighed out of frustration. "Fine. What is the catch?"

"If you win, you will get to proceed to the next round!"

I grinned a little. "Okay...what is the next round?"

"More puzzles!"

By that time, things looked like it was going from bad to worse.

"What if I lose?"

"If you lose?"

The lanky but well-mannered, sometimes noticeably eccentric skeleton was silent for awhile. "If you lose, you will be sent to the Royal Guards! Then, they will send you to the King of the Underground...who is a jolly good fellow. Do not worry about him."

Confident words, but no matter the challenge, and the consequences of the actions, I was determined to walk out the victor.

"Well, then," I said. "Challenge accepted!"

Papyrus looked a creature short of breath. The fact that he was a skeleton denied the notion that he was exhausted, or possibly hyperventilating.

"BRILLIANT! SPECTACULAR! WONDERFUL!" were the phrases that came out of his mouth, joy etched on his tall but brittle face. "I shall summon thee..."

"I prefer you speak in plain English," I protested.

"Oh, fine," he sighed. "I shall begin the game of...JUNIOR JUMBLE!"

A piece of paper containing words and letters and the face of a cartoon bear was put on the table. We both took our positions; Sans, too, even though he was not involved in the game.

The game of Junior Jumble was not unheard of. There was a bit of rustiness because I have not touched it for a year or so, but occasionally my sister and I would trade blows trying to solve the atrocities for good, till we both end up with smiles on our faces.

Anyhow, the game with Papyrus was as enjoyable as it could be; I was able to beat him with no problem at all.

"Bah! This was too easy! Time to move on to a new challenge. CROSSWORD PUZZLE!"

He had to be kidding.

"AAAAGHHH!"

Papyrus was not amused. The fact that I defeated and demolished him in two straight challenges did not sit well, it seemed. Sans, on the other hand, occasionally butt in, saying silly 'catchphrases' that would make the glorious Rowan Atkinson cough up a fur-ball.

"Paps, your performance in this game is, well...PUZZLING to say the least."

"Hey, look, my fingers CROSS-ED the paper."

"You guys should have followed the TuTORIEL for crying out loud."

Meanwhile, a smile crept out on my face.

 _Man, I am enjoying all this_.

The Skeleton Bros proved sociable, accepting, tolerant and occasionally irritating , but all in a good fun.

 _As long as they do not hurt me, we are all good._


	9. Chapter 9

"Conceding defeat, skull boy?"

Papyrus, or Paps as he was sometimes referred by his brother, looked unconvinced. It was as if a cloud hung above his head, showering him with crippling misfortune in the many board games that he partaken in.

Loss after loss he endured, but he was never one to surrender so easily.

"Not a chance, human!" exclaimed Papyrus. "I will never give up, not till the last drop of blood!"

Sans and I could not say a word, but Paps could not be serious.

"I will be outside," was the tall vertebrate's words as he separated from his chair and made his way out.

"Sans," I asked, "where is Papyrus gone to?"

Sans raised his shoulders. "Beats me, kiddo."

I left my chair and headed for the exit. Sans did not bother to follow. Instead, he took the liberty to hold on to his cup of coffee, and poured excess ketchup on the delicate fries.

Outside, I was greeted by the glimmering of lights, as well as the coolness of the night. The fog retreated momentarily, so there was a complete little town in front of me. The Monsters were mostly of gentle, warm nature; they made no fuss over my racial identity.

I encountered a beautiful rabbit-like Monster, who accompanied her baby brother for a walk outside; no potty training necessary. There was also The Rock, who stood with his two lovely children outside a house but a few inches from the swishing currents of the river.

"Hey, kids," the Rock said, "do you smell what momma's cookin'?"

"No, dad," his first child replied.

"Me, neither," the second child replied.

The Rock let out a chuckle. "If you smell what momma's cookin'... call me back into the house! I just LOOOVE her grilled steak!"

Monsters do have a cheeky sense of humor, not unlike the humans that I know in my brief lifetime.

Papyrus was a human-hunting fanatic that would go to extreme lengths to make sure a human got captured, regardless of how questionable, or lack thereof, methods imposed to do so. There was much debate as to his motives for capturing. It could be that he hated human flesh; that he has got a point to prove to the Royal Guard; or he was just looking for ways to burn time because he was awfully bored.

Beating him in common human games was a private triumph, but mattered little to me. I just wanted it all to be done with. Winning was not the priority. For Paps, he was determined to beat me, so much that he stormed off to possibly plot a vicious attack.

Not that it mattered, for I was starting to relish the little town of Snowdin and its mostly gracious inhabitants.

"Hey, Marco!"

A voice crept from a distance. A fish creature looked straight at me.

"Marco, you clueless white oaf!" the fish angrily screamed at the tip of my ear. "You are supposed to follow the Royal Guard!"

I was baffled. "T-the R-royal...?"

"Do not play dumb with me, you little rascal! Go, now!"

She beat me on the back with a whip. I screamed and got moving. As ordered, I followed a gang of disproportionately-sized dogs. The one in front of the group was dressed mightily in a body armor. Behind him were two similarly-dressed ones, hands held together as if in a marriage ceremony. The last in the group, the one right in front of me, was either not paying attention to where he was walking, or indefinitely sight-impaired.

One heck of a group.

Suddenly, a thought bubble came alight. _Heck, maybe these dogs know the way. Maybe they will lead me to the King's castle, and then the barrier. This is certainly one of my lucky days!_

 _Thanks a lot, Sans, for the plumber costume, even though it was size L._


	10. Chapter 10

We marched for mere minutes, till it was time to stop, for we reached our destination.

It was a dark, deep place; deeper within the south of Snowdin. Located in a cave, the shrine was thought to be a site of huge importance by the traditional Underground Monsters. For it was in that shrine, where a skillful wizard named Toby discovered the ability to extend on his worldly existence, reaching out to the ever-growing universe. He earned accolades and praise for his sorcery; that was, till he was heard of no more...

The shrine was large and mostly uninhabited, save for strange whale-like creatures that glide along the walls with pride. If looked at closely, the creatures resemble a whale and a bullet at the same time. Such was the complexity of life in the Underground.

"We are on a mission!" exclaimed the armored dog, its tongue twitching back and forth. "I love missions! They keep me going, each and every day!"

"Indeed," said the male in the happily married dog couple. "We are supposed to guard this facility from certain harm. Harm that might come from anywhere..."

The female nodded. "Honey, we shall defend this facility with pride, shall we not? For the Royal Guard!"

"For the Royal Guard!" exclaimed the male with excitement.

The couple cuddled each other like the lovebirds, or 'love dogs' they were. Meanwhile, I turned my attention to the sight-impaired mutt.

"Brother," I asked. "What is y...?"

"Huh?" the dog questioned. "Who said that?"

"I did," I candidly replied.

The dog sighed. "Look, I cannot see things unless they move. So, don't push me!"

I began walking a little.

"Eh?"

I anticipated the worst.

"Marco? You're with us?"

I nodded, making full use of my imitation. The hood covering my head was able to shield me for the first few minutes with the Guards.

Then, the armored dog called on me. "Honorable plumber, we have known each other for some time. You proved time and again that you are very good at fixing things. That is a great thing!"

"Yeah...about that...what shall I do now?"

The male in the couple butted in. "Have you not heard? Undyne wants us all to guard this place from danger."

I nodded. "Cool, but what must _I_ do?"

"Well...you could..."

"Fix things!" exclaimed the armored dog, his face a sea of joy. "It is your expertise, wise plumber of the Underground!"

The dog pointed at a pipe, which had water bursting out of it. "See that over there? Use your skills to fix that pipe! It should be easy for a great plumber like you!"

 _Easy, huh? Well, wait till he finds out who I truly am._

Nevertheless, I reluctantly helped. I was not good at plumbing. Had almost no experience, except for the time I witnessed my old man's professionalism when dealing with the broken kitchen equipment. _That was pure joy,_ I remembered.

The pipe almost went "SKRAA PAP PAP PAP!" but it didn't.Instead, it went _WHIRRRRR!_

 _This is so not good,_ I thought.

I had not a clue as to how I should behave like a plumber does. The situation was made the worse, when out of the blue, a ragtag crew of misfits decided to join the fray.

At first I thought they were going to lend a hand, but soon it turned out they were not the friendly kind.

Through some hidden loud speaker, a voice cried out, "Hah! You royal scums are not gonna get out of here alive!"

"Huh?" the blind dog cried out. "Who can this be?"

"It is my servants and I who decided to let you all come here. Since you all are, then my plan is complete! You have fallen into my trap!"

The deep but beautiful-sounding male voice revealed that the burst pipe was the work of his crew of gangsters, five of which decided to storm into the shrine like the rascals they were.

The feathered, bespectacled gangster laughed. "Puppy meat for dinner. Yummy!"

"Couldn't say it better," replied another similar bird-like creature. "Let's finish them!" The bird drooled like a starving caveman.

The married male dog sighed. "Royal Guards...prepare for war! RRROOOFFF!"

The fighting ensued. It was a war of sorts; bodies flown here and there in split seconds, and the risk of injury is as little compared to death, which looked certain for anyone. The blind dog was also a participant, but he was constantly falling off his feet.

A bespectacled creature in leather jacket, with the intense look etched on his face, went for the blind dog, pouncing; attempting to take advantage on his obvious disadvantage.

"Prepare to di..."

I struck the creature with a drop kick, leaving him stunned. Then, I pulled the dog Guard up to his feet, and walked him to safety.

"You okay, fella?" I asked. "What is your name, anyway?"

"Huh? Oh, it's Doggo!"

"Doggo?" I reminisced about a playful young puppy which belonged to my neighbor at my surface home.

"Yup. Hey, we are in a war zone, aren't we?"

I nodded. "Indeed we are, but we can't let these birds win..."

"These aren't birds! They are Drakes!"

"Drakes? What are those?"

"They are vile creatures!" he exclaimed. "They want nothing more than to take control of the Underground, all for themselves. And they think they can do that by getting rid of us!"

"By the looks of things," I added, "you are absolutely right."

Doggo was flailing; it later appeared he wanted to touch my shoulders, so I put his hands on the shoulders.

He was shaking me, saying, "Look, dude, you gotta help me! You gotta help us all!"

In spite of all the fighting, I told Doggo to sit still.

"Can you walk, Doggo?"

"Depends," he replied. "If I see things that move, that won't be a problem."

Soon, Doggo sighted a Monster with no arms. The Monster was of young age and wore a dated checkered shirt.

Doggo grunted. "Hey, you! MK! Come back here!"

With that, it looked like one problem was solved, but it was time to assist the Guards as per Doggo's request.

The battle tense as always, I witnessed the Drakes seemed to be winning. They still had three members on their feet, while I saw the male dog nursing his injuries. His female life companion was still standing, but looked exhausted. The largest dog was standing firmly; he had a strong armor that worked well in his favor.

The Drakes set their sights on the big one. After disposing of the female dog, tossing her away like crumpled paper, the two bespectacled, bird-like creatures surrounded the remaining dog. One of them slipped because the female dog pulled his legs.

"Give it your best shot!" the dog yelled. "I am not going down without a fight!"

The Drakes grinned. "If that is what you really want…be our guest."

The dog did all in his power to prevent damage, but his armor kept getting beat up. After several near-misses, the Drakes succeeded in weakening him.

They targeted his feet. Using some wooden planks, they started hitting the dog's legs. The two were quick to strike down the Dog, and there was not a chance for the dog to get up, for he just could not call for anyone to help.

The male dog was severely injured, blood pouring near his stomach area. The female was having a quarrel with a fallen Drake member. Doggo I saw fled the scene when all was breaking loose.

Then I came back in.

I equipped myself with a wrench which, when held, felt a bit like an 8kg dumbbell.

"Hey!" I screamed.

The Drakes turned to me. I got their attention. They got mine as well, for I stared them down their souls.

The Drakes were vicious in their character and irrational in their motives, but little did I care for those who hurt others for the sake of prestige and pride. Determined I was, to end their cruelty at that very moment.

"If you wanna fight somebody," I said, "I am here."

"Well, look who the reinforcements sent!" the Drakes giggled. "Easy meat."

They laughed, before turning serious. "Get him!"

Equipped with planks, they were on to me like a pack of wolves. Their relentless efforts nearly paid dividends, when I was caught for a moment and sent to the ground, my body joined by patches of snow.

They could not wait for me to get back up.

"You have no idea who you are messing with, plumber punk!" a Drake exclaimed. "Give it up, or I will tear you limb by limb!"

I refused to give in to either proposal. Instead, I hit the wrench on the Drake's right foot.

"AAAAUUUUGHH!" he yelled in pain.

It appeared the wrench was 'doing its job'.

I was almost sidetracked by the other Drake who lurked behind. I just managed to avoid his strike, which split the plank to pieces. Suddenly, the plank resembled a little stick, but I had a stronger, unbreakable weapon.

I ran off momentarily, giving myself some breathing space, but once I reached the wall, I started to jump.

For a moment, I flew high up. The Drake could only drool in awe.

"What kind of plumber are you?"

By estimation, I was to land near - or directly on top of – the menacing maniac. So I thought, might as well strike while the iron's hot. A blow to his head; he was down and out indefinitely.

A Drake tackled me from behind. A strong tackle; I felt the friction with the snow and the ground. My face was covered with snow – and drops of blood. I could not see red, but I felt it pouring out of my forehead. My skin was torn. _Oh God, no._

My head was uncovered. My identity suffered the same fate.

"What the…?" the Drake thought. "You ain't the plumber! You're…"

The moment of hesitation by the bird, was what I needed to silence him. His head was near my legs, so I thrusted myself forwards and locked his head up. I tried my hardest to suffocate the living life out of the intruding Drake. I also pulled his head by the rear neck to add more pressure.

"Tap out!" I screamed. "Surrender, or else I won't let you go!"

The Drake didn't respond, but his eyes were turning white. He was really struggling for air.

The momentum was stopped, when a Drake member pushed me off of his friend.

The Drake told his friend to get up, but there was no response. The friend was still in shock; probably paralyzed.

"You did this," the Drake said with anger. "You destroyed him! You are evil, just like your people!"

His mention of my people being bad people struck a chord in me. I was out of words.

The remaining Drake picked up my wrench. "Let's see you taste your own medicine, punk!"

I stared him down, but there seemed to be no effect. The Drake was as aggressive as he could be, not giving a thought to most of his actions. The same goes for the others that I put down before.

Out of nowhere, the large dog pulled off a surprise. He came charging towards the Drake and mauled him. It was painful to watch; the Drake was instantly dead from loss of blood.

I kept silent. The dog looked at me.

"So, you are a human?" asked the dog. "But humans attacked…"

"No, you got it wrong," I interrupted. "I attacked them because they attacked you."

The large dog was still trying to figure things out. He looked confused at best.

The female dog voiced out. "Greatest Dog, it is true…"

"Which part is true, dear friend?" the Greatest Dog inquired.

"It's what this soul said," she replied, pointing her finger at me. "I saw it with my own eyes. This soul, however tarnished it may or may not be, has saved us from certain death. He has destroyed the Drakes."

It looked like one of them understood.

Greatest Dog kept on turning his head, first towards me, then towards the female dog, and then back at me.

The buffed dog nodded. "I am sorry, human, but I have misjudged you, and unfairly labelled you because of your race. It was my mistake."

He bowed down in front of me. _What?_

I was not able to collect a lot of vocabulary to get the conversation rolling. All I said was, "I am sorry, too."

Things were getting a bit strange, even though I loved the outcome. It turned out better than I thought, but I refused to stay in the shrine.

My attention was turned towards an ailing male dog, husband of the female one, who was still nursing his injuries. He was bleeding badly then, but managed to make the bleeding stop.

"Get him to the hospital," I said, before I ran out of the shrine.

"Wait!" I heard the scream from Greatest Dog. "You are hurt. Should you not follow—"


	11. Chapter 11

I have walked for a long time. As a result, I got very, very tired. The amount of blood spewing off my forehead did little to calm me down.

At times I wondered, was it really a wise thing to do? Running away - from a group of dogs - just because I was of the 'rival race'?

I could not come to terms with everything that transpired back in the shrine. Better yet, my being alive still was kind of creepy. I learned a thing or two from Karate, but did not expect practice to be implemented in such a way; successfully, too!

After the long jog, I came across two edges, joined together by a wooden bridge. The bridge I duly crossed; the beauty of the forests below I ignored, for I was still in a reasonable amount of pain.

Sans showed up outside a guard post.

"Hey, kiddo," he said. "I found my bro. He wants you," he points his finger to his left,  
"over there."

Papyrus was standing still, my eyes struggling to focus on him, for the fog got a lot thicker than it used to be. Perhaps it was to be a day clouded by darkness. Then again, the sun did not shine at Snowdin, not as long as I could remember from the past 24 hours I have been there.

"Human," the lanky skeleton said, "how nice of you to join me."

I could make out he was grinning.

He carried on. "You and I, we share a thing or two in common. One of them is that, we are both great players of the traditional form of games. We are the dominator of classics! Besides that, we are all great people, like I am the Great Papyrus!"

"However, this…" He paused awhile.

"Carry on…," I said. "Like I give a…"

The fog cleared, allowing me to observe Papyrus dressed in his finest clothes and bright red cape. "This has to end right here, right now!"

 _Oh, boy._

Papyrus summoned some bones from the ground. The bones were avoided, but the atrocious weather left me with a disability: I could not see very well. Added to that was my recurring forehead injury which left me all but hobbling ever since I escaped the shrine.

By accident, I smacked my head against a bone. My feet trembled to the ground, and then my body betrayed me. There was not a thing I could do, for I went blank; my eyes shut.

"Go get him, bruh," Sans said.

Papyrus covered me for the pinfall. Sans counted 1, 2 and 3. Papyrus celebrated.

"NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus exclaimed in joy. "I have beaten the human, brother! I am indeed the Great Papyrus! Now, it is time for the Royal Guard to_"

Sans butted in. "Blood loss."

The fiery tall skeleton's celebration was cut short. "Oh, my…"

The skeleton brothers were stumped to see their human associate lying with blood pouring off the forehead in a violent manner.

"He is…dead…" Papyrus muttered in shock. "Oh, nooo…I…I did not mean to kill him!" The lanky skeleton burst to tears. "No…this is an outrage…this is not what the Great Papyrus had in mind…"

Sans glanced at Papyrus, before proceeding to check on me. "Let me see…"

Sans put his index and middle finger on my neck. He nodded. "Alive…"

Papyrus was relieved. "How fortunate. But…how? What happened to him? How did he become like this?"

"Bro, I do not know, and now I do not c_"

Sans' eyes lit up a strong blue. "Get down!" he ordered his brother.

A couple of Drakes made their way to the scene. They flaunted their leather jackets and jet black sunglasses, also the occasional fake hair. As they walked along the streets of Snowdin, all could do nothing but look in awe. They were either intrigued, or terrified. No one dared to interfere with the Drakes, especially not with rumors about their violent, cruel leader who would cut off the limbs of wrongdoers. Their motto 'execute at all costs' was a grim reminder of their seriousness and dedication; also why they saw their self as a direct replacement for the Royal Guard, whom they have seen as being 'obsolete'.

The Drakes did not find anything particularly interesting.

"Nothing here," one of them said to the other. "Just some snow."

"Man, forget that!" the other replied. "All you know about is snow, snow, and more snow. Ain't a thing worth fitting into your tiny, winey brain, eh, Matt?"

"Aw, c'mon, Snow…"

The former stopped when he saw red patches of blood on the snow-covered ground.

"Over there," he said.

The two flicked their fingers on the thin layer of blood. The former proceeded by licking it.

"Human blood," he muttered with a grin.

The Drakes followed the dark red traces like a sly fox ready to pounce on their prey, till they saw a body lying motionless, alongside the shaking Papyus.

"IT WASN'T ME!" Papyrus screamed in unreasonable fear. "It wasn't…"

"Skully boy," a Drake said while pointing his finger, "shut your mouth, and you will be out of trouble this time!"

"O-o-okay…" Papyrus nodded.

"Good. Let's see what we have …"

Before the two were able to lift my body, they were hit with a big surprise.

Out of the blue, Sans reappeared, using some sort of force field to push the thugs about a mile away.

"Quick, hold my hand!" Sans informed to me and Papyrus.

Without much hesitation, we both grabbed hold of Sans' meatless arms. Sans proceeded by running towards a black hole from which he came from earlier.

"Wait. What…?" I recalled saying the same time I slowly regained consciousness.

Sans's 'time warp' black hole did not just save our lives, but it also brought us all back in the Skeleton residency.

I was unaware of what happened inside the hole; all I knew was that I fell asleep. Again.

Sans sighed. "That was close."

"Brother," Papyrus said, "I do not mean to be rude, but our human friend, he…"

"Get him patched up. He's gonna need it."

Papyrus sighed. "All right, Sans. I will get the bandages."

I woke up and felt some loose cloth on my head. It felt better already; no more severe migraine.

Somehow, after all that occurred before my eyes, I was still alive.

Never thought I would even survive, but I did. _Thank you, God._

It could have been worse. Thanks to Sans and Paps; without them, I would have been taken by those dreadful, vicious Drake demons.

Papyrus came to me like a bloody Road Runner and gave me a wedgie. "NYEH!"

"Ouch!" I cried. "Be careful, Paps!"

Papyrus let go of his grip. "For the first time," Papyrus uttered with pride, "the Great Papyrus is glad to have saved the life of a Human. It is an honor to be of service to you, Human."

I shook my head. "Yeah…I guess I couldn't have done it without you. I mean, you saved me!"

"Sans and I both helped you out of your misery, human!" Papyrus gave out a long grin. "Oh, before I forget, I need to prepare a meal…"

Papyrus left me to watch some dancing robot on the TV, while he looked eager to cook something that smelled pretty odd.

The TV show was not really my thing; the robot was able to do the moonwalk, spin and even occasionally breakdance, but it just did not catch my impression. To me, it was a cheap publicity stunt, just like what they were starting to do up in the _real world_.

"That's Mettaton."

Like a sneaky little devil, Sans appeared beside me on the sofa.

"Who?" I enquired.

"That metal head, that's Mettaton."

I understood. "Well, I've seen him, and I have to say, I've met a ton of people who could do what he did."

Sans chuckled. He burst into a louder laugh. "Good one, kid. Say, you learned a thing or two from me. I guess that is a good thing?"

It made me realize I made a joke by accident.

"Met a ton…? Pfffttt!" I rubbed it off. "Well, I am known for being fun to be around with…"

"That makes the two of us," Sans replied. "Hey, kiddo, you not gonna change the channel?"

"Nah, Papyrus wanted to see this show."

"C'mon, he ain't around."

I surrendered, for it was a small issue that needed no fussing about. "Suit yourself, Sans."

Sans changed to Underground Music TV show, which often showed the top music hits in the Underground every day. The song playing was 'Megalovania' by the Water Fall Orchestra.

They were pretty impressive. For an orchestra to be featured in the music charts, that does not happen every day. Sans looked like he enjoyed it, too. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, but soon reverted to its original form.

The aroma from the kitchen was becoming a stronger. Papyrus came out holding a large plate of spaghetti.

"Dinner is served, kids!" Papyrus joked and put the plate on the table.

The aroma wonderful; the aesthetics not so much. Still, I took a bite and overall, it was as good as it got. It was usual dinner food, not something out of Jamie Oliver's cookbook. That would be strange, coming from the Underground, though I do not know what is considered _strange_ anymore.

The three of us, Sans included, ate as much as our tummies could make room for. Paps could cook, but he cooked so much, there was still a lot of spaghetti left after we were done.

I failed to cover up a burp, but they did not mind.

"Guys," I said, "thanks for the great sleepover. But I don't know why you guys don't stop me when you had the chance."

Papyrus was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Sans turned to me but his facial expression was limited.

I sighed. "What I meant was, you two were supposed to capture and send me to your leader. Like what you said to me earlier."

Papyrus put his hand in front of my face. "Human, while it may appear that I want to capture you, I was wrong. I actually wanted to capture you, to prove that I deserve to enter the Royal Guard, to show that I am a good soldier!"

I chuckled. "And do you think you have proved it?"

Papyrus had his head bowed down. "It is always my dream to become a Royal Guardian of the Underground, and hang out with one of the strongest individuals in the Underground! However, after all that we've been through…I realized, my goals were a selfish one." He lifted his head back up. "You are a human, but you are just a human. You are not exactly the enemy that we seek to defeat." Papyrus grinned. "Hey, you did not attack any of us in the first place!"

I nodded. "Hey, I am a peace lover, not a war monger."

"And you are very good in poetry!"

"Well," I tried to hide my blushing, "I tried a few times…"

Sans chuckled. "But can he do puns?"

"I am pretty sure he can," Papyrus replied. "What do you say, human?"

"I will pass."

We all laughed our socks off.

While it was fun hanging around Snowdin, it was time to get going. Sans understood my cause, but for his brother, it seemed hard. He seemed reluctant to say goodbye.

Eventually, Papyrus volunteered to accompany me to leave Snowdin. Sans watched us from afar, just in case some idiots popped up and tried to stop us. To stop me.

On and on we walked, till we reached the end of Snowdin. There was a guard post, and a flower that talked. Not the dastardly evil flower that almost killed me, but…

The Monsters called them the Echo Flower.

They were turquoise and taller than me, but not too tall. I was unable to engage in much conversation with it, probably because I was not too interested. My biggest hope was that they do not bite, let alone throw nerve-tingling insults.

I saw Sans standing on the post.

"I did not know Sans takes care of many posts," I told Papyrus.

"He does!" Papyrus exclaimed. "He loves to multitask. Oh, how I wonder how he does it so well."

I pat the skeleton on his shoulder. "Chill, brother! I am sure you will get to your goals, whatever it is. You just have to keep working at it!"

Papyrus blushed. "Did you just call me…brother?"

I scratched my hair, "Yeah…I did," weirded out by the sudden blushing.

Papyrus proceeded by hugging me. "Yes, you are right. We might not be brothers in blood, but we are brothers nonetheless!"

I did not understand what he meant, but I breathed a sigh of relief when he let go of me.

Then, as I turned my head back to the post, I noticed Sans was gone.

With no time to lose, Papyrus and I carried on out of Snowdin, past a beautiful long waterfall.


	12. Chapter 12

In hot water, she thought; for the Royal Guard acted on their own, without their leader to accompany them through the recent battle with the dastardly Drakes which nearly claimed the lives of the members, including one 'Marco the Plumber'. As it turned out, one got stabbed, one marginally injured and a few others went missing in action.

The plumber was absent when the finned, blue-skinned de facto leader came to visit the hospital.

Undyne could not comprehend the issue. He stared from outside the quarantine room where her friends were holed up. A doctor, dressed in a thick white coat that covered his large body - making him look even larger - approached the soldier while sticking his notebook out.

"Doctor," she sighed. "I understand you are only doing your job, but the Royal Guard…they have never been so devastated. Never did I see this coming."

"No one does," the doctor replied while fixing his spectacles. "The scratch marks are received from contact with a sharp object, in your friend's case, an attack, and this was a physical assault on several degrees…"

"Obviously," Undyne nodded, but she bowed down with a face that signified guilt. "God, I should have been there. Had it not been for me…"

Undyne smacked the glass mirror with rage. "Now they are here, because of me!"

The doctor, whose name tag read 'Alz Heimer', comforted the fish lady. "There, there. Nothing much you could do. No one could have reacted to the savages. But, at least your friends are all fine."

"Are they really all right?" she refocused on her brothers in arms.

"They are in stable condition."

Undyne took a deep breath. "Good, doctor. Thank you."

Doctor Alz smiled. "We here at Underground General Hospital are always dedicated to helping our patients return to their original, healthy self. As in the case of your friends," he said while fixing his spectacles again. "They will be well taken care of till it's the right time to send them home."

"Is that all, doctor?" Undyne said. "If you are done, may I enter the room?"

"That is all, and yes, you may proceed."

The Royal Guardians were not behaving in sync, nor did they look fit for duty. Dogamy grimaced in pain. His pain so severe, he would not eat or drink for a while. His wife Dogaressa suffered minor injuries but that, too, had to be handled with care. Any more encounters with the enemy camp could result in disastrous consequences, with death being one of them.

Undyne took the time to talk to Dogaressa, who mentioned stories of _a visit from an angel_. The Greatest Dog was all smiles. Meanwhile, Doggo sat on the couch, with a certain armless child monster beside him. The boy's face signaled curiosity, but Doggo looked tense. Even in his blindness, he could sense danger.

"Doggo."

The dog could recognize the cracked voice. "Undyne, you're here! Am I glad to see you!"

"What? Why? How did this happen to you guys?"

Doggo shook his head. "I did not see everything, but I did remember…"

Doggo was taking too long to respond. That drove Undyne mad.

"Remember what, exactly?" she was growing impatient. Arms folded, she did not look the waiting type. "Doggo, can you remember?"

"It was Marco!" Doggo exclaimed, lifting his right index finger. "He told me to run away. Then, he…man, I cannot remember! Sorry, Undyne." The blind Royal Guardian let out a pitiful moan.

"Where is he?"

"Errr…" Doggo's head jinked left and right. Sweat poured like rain water from his furred forehead. "I don't…know…"

The increasingly irritated leading Royal Guardian wasted no time to grab his associate by the neck. Doggo gulped; shocked, as one would be.

"You listen to me, kid!" Undyne screamed. "I asked you a question, plain and simple, but you don't wanna give me a complete answer? GAAAHHHHH! Wasting my time, and your own life! You are only making it easy for me to kill you, you blind fool!"

Doggo felt very afraid; he was gulping and crying. "Please…please do not hurt…" He was overcome by helplessness.

Undyne's mind not in control; her emotions certainly got the better of her. She was not always like this.

That the Royal Guard was left almost severely paralyzed was not easy to take. Either she was not doing her job, or the Guardians were not as strong. She was convinced the latter would be a more credible excuse, for she had always believed in her abilities from day one. The patients in neighboring wards gasped in terror by the wicked confrontation nearby.

"Oh, God," Monster Kid said. "Undyne! Please put him down! Isn't he your friend?"

"No time to talk, kid," she replied. "What are you doing here anyway?"

The mere words spoken by the head of the Royal Guard sent shockwaves to the mind of that poor, disabled child.

"Grrr…!" Dogamy tried hard to speak. "Stop, you two…gaahhh!" His vocal cords were slightly bruised from the pain he was in.

Dogaressa cried out, "Please, Undyne, you do not have to do this!"

Sans came over, sporting his usual street clothes, his appearance completed by a blue jacket he grew fond of wearing - ever since he ditched his job at Dr. Alphys's laboratory.

"Whoa, there," Sans voiced out his concern. "Let us not spill ketchup on the floor…if you know what I mean."

He winked at Undyne; the leader bit her sharp teeth.

"Heh," Sans said, "let Doggo go-go already. No need to get so uptight that our pups did not get the job done."

It took a while, but she eventually put Doggo down. "Fine, Sans. You win this time."

Undyne bowed her head to the floor, casting a dejected figure.

"It looks like we are losing," Undyne said. "Maybe, we have already lost."

Sans smirked. "Cut the crap, fish girl! Heck, look who I brought here…"

Sans moved away from the door to reveal a very much alive and present Marco, the well-known Italian plumber. He was dressed in nothing but his plain white pajamas.

"It's a-me, fellows!" Marco exclaimed in an unbroken native accent. "I hope you all doing a-great, but you all don't look a-good, if you know what I mean."

After years of living in foreign land, Marco still found it difficult to shake off his local dialect. Still, Undyne was having none of it. The Royal Guardians gently followed the drama in front of their eyes.

Dogamy groaned. "Hurt...still…"

"Oh, my," Dogaressa replied. "Hold on still, dear. You will be all right. Your blood is stable."

"Are you…sure…darling?"

"Of course!" Dogaressa responded with a smile. "The doctor said so, my dear. Now, you lay back and rest. It will be all right, love."

"We believe you can go through this!" Greatest Dog motivated his colleague. "Dear Undyne, we are all right. You do not need to blame Doggo. He is innocent!" The dog ended with a smile.

Undyne glanced at his team-mates. For a while, she was held aback. She turned away and her head kept down.

"My bad," she said softly.

"See?" Sans said. "Toldja it is all cool as ice."

Undyne turned to Sans. "I need to talk to you, in private. Now."

Sans was thinking of retorting, but instead approved of Undyne's request. So, he quietly left the room and headed to a more secluded area with his superior officer.

"What up, 'Dyne?" he asked candidly.

"You do know that I ordered you to look after the posts in Snowdin, don't you?"

"Yep."

"And you do know, because of your gifted abilities, you are trusted by the King to look after the Royal Guard. Am I right?"

Sans nodded like a hyperactive kid. "Yep-yep."

"Now, tell me…"

"What?"

"Did you see a human?"

Sans' eye socket showed nothing. "What…?"

"Did you see a human?!"

Sans tried to make a cover. "Oh…a human. I thought you meant women."

Undyne pushed Sans to the wall. "Don't play dumb with me, Sans! I know you, more than you think I do."

Sans was getting unsettled. "Whoa! Easy on my threads, girl!"

"You pathetic little devil," Undyne grinned. "You think I don't know? You think I'm stupid?!"

"Right now, you're stupid enough for both of us."

Undyne delivered her hard fists to the skeleton's stomach - or what was left of it. The Royal Guard gasped, so did Monster Kid and a confused Marco.

"Disrespect me again, and I will break your skull!"

"Ouch…"

"You stole Marco's clothes, and then you put it on some human. For a while, I was made a fool, believing that Marco came back to settle the job. Settle his job, of fixing the pipes in the shrine we always looked after. But instead, I heard stories. Stories from my own people, that an angel descended and saved them. They believe that? Am I supposed to believe that?!"

Sans regained his stamina. "Up to you, actually. I have my own body."

"We are good pals, you and I," Undyne said. "But your behavior has been unacceptable. If word goes to the King, he will be very upset. After all, it is our duty to never let any human get through here. They all should suffer the same fate our martyrs did long ago."

"So you expect me to become an idiot?" Sans questioned. "To believe a rotten apple spoils the whole basket? I don't know what the King feeds you, but hey, who am I to judge?"

Undyne resembled a sour grape. "It is what it is. No question about it…"

Sans sounded angry, his eyes lit. "Dang it, Undyne! You are nothing more than a puppet. You and your racist ideology! You believe your sole purpose is to kill and conquer. You think that all humans are the same? What's the matter, can't even cut a little boy some slack? Can't spare them like you spare me?"

Undyne was unmoved. "You know how it goes. If you see them, find them and kill them. If they fight back, DESTROY them! That isn't too difficult, not for me, anyway. The same goes to you. I've seen some get killed or destroyed. Then, their souls are ripped from their stinking corpses, and delivered to the King."

Sans looked at Undyne with a terrified look, but the look later turned into a grin.

The short skeleton laughed. "What a jerk."

He disappeared from Undyne's grip, using his teleportation ability. He found himself a few yards away, and near the hospital entrance. The hood was put on, and he walked with the crowd like anybody else did, his permanent grin showing no signs of change.

 _Nap time,_ he thought.

"SAAAANNNNSSSS!" An infuriated Undyne let his frustrations show.

Marco tried to comfort the Guardian, but she grabbed his large nose and tossed him across the hallway.

Doctor Alz stormed to face Undyne, uncomfortable with the ruckus. "Do you mind?! We have patients to attend to—"

"I will finish the job myself," Undyne muttered and then left.

Marco recovered to the sofa, the doctor giving him a hand. "Mamma-mia! After losing my outfit, now we have this? What is a-happening to this a-world?"

 _I love this place._

I loved it that the waters flowed at a gentle speed, and the sound of waves glued to my ears like music that was too good to refuse. The air danced and jiggled gracefully, pushing the leaves gently as it completed its cycle. They all fitted my imagination of heaven.

A duck, made with beautiful skin of yellow, and cheeks that sparked of adorability, approached me.

"Sir," they said with a squeaky but beautiful voice. "Do you need a lift to the other side?"

"Sure," I replied with a warm smile, "but I do not think you can do it."

"Watch me."

The duck jumped above my head, then gripped it. Soon, I moved further from the ground, but it did not hurt at all. On the contrary, I felt very alive. Very _vibrant_.

It was a lot more fun than flying on planes, even though - at a young age - I never got to set foot on an airplane. Being flown by a cute duck was something special; technically my first time flying.

The landing was inch-perfect; I did not fall or tremble awkwardly to the partly lit ground.

"Thanks, little one," I said.

I was eager to carry on with my journey, but the same duck stopped me.

"Sir," he remarked, "you forgot to pay cash."

I turned back. "How much?"

"One dollar," the duck replied with a smiled.

I took out a dollar note and handed it to the duck. After keeping the money in its fanny pack, the duck flew with joy.

"Thank youuuuu!" he said. "May force be with yoouuuuu…." The voice faded out as the duck made his way out.

I lost a dollar, but I need not complain. It was worth the trouble for the duck, I presumed. _What a cute little fella._

I was overcome by the feeling of happiness; content; satisfaction that I almost forgot about everything around me.

The turquoise-colored flowers near me would sing a wonderful phrase.

The chorus delivered in perfect tone and harmony, like those choirboys from school. "Thank youuuuu!" My body hair lifted momentarily.

Little did I know that a lone, unknown individual lurked from the shadows, not far from where I stood.

"Human flesh," the figure whispered. "You are soon mine."


	13. Chapter 13

I could not picture a night so beautiful.

Turquoise leaves rustled gracefully in the sky; the aroma a simply irresistible one. The flowers wild and free, dancing in the pale moonlight, with no care in the world. No hurt; no pain; no sorrow; but contentment, with life, in all its glory, a thing my people lacked in an undisclosed but truthfully embarrassing amount.

I screamed, "Hi there!" while passing by a troop of echo flowers.

"Hi there!" they replied in unison.

Their response sent shivers down my spine, but in a pleasant way.

I tried out another quote. "Biron is my name, what is yours?"

The flowers replied the exact same thing.

"No, _I_ am Biron!"

A peaceful dispute for the rights of my name began, all for good fun; a convenient waste of time.

The clock ticked. It was already 9 p.m. _Time to get going_ , I thought. _Stick to the plan. Home is the destination._

I stood up. "Well, time to go! See you around, flowers!"

What good fun, listening and learning to talk to flowers. Even though some regarded it as useless, I believed it was them that taught me to restore inner peace when in times of trouble.

The peace replaced by a certain disruption, when I heard a familiar chuckle.

"You idiot."

The deceitful brat of a flower made his return. By the look of his eyes, and his insanely wicked smile, some intentions just could not be disguised. He could either finish me off, or humiliate me - like he tried, back in the Ruins.

I could not blame Flowey, for he was loose cannon. He was a psychotic, and psychos tend to cause grief and harm, either to others or even themselves. Rape, suicide, terrorism; most cases pointed to the same group of behavior.

My arms I gripped. My heart filled with determination. My soul conceived anger. My mind and body, they joined together and burned the meat inside.

Flowey gave out an unpleasant grin. "What's the matter, don't 'cha wanna see me? We are best of buddies, remember?"

"To hell with that!" I shouted at the tip of my voice. "I am not like you. You are evil beyond words!"

"My, my," Flowey replied. "That is not the best remark you could give to a little flower…"

"You deserve to be ripped apart from your soul."

Flowey's smirk I could not bear, for his face I wished to tear. "Go on, I am listening."

"What do you want?"

"Good question. What _do_ I want?" Flowey let out a sinister laugh. "Excellent! Besides, why am I even here, in front of a useless, worthless, egg-faced pretender like you?"

I was unmoved; rather confused. _What is he talking about?_

"But oh, nooo…There is still further use for you. That is, because all I crave for, all I was built for," Flowey looked sharply to my eyes, "is your SOUL!"

"No chance," I retorted. "No chance in hell that I am going to give it to you."

The place shook like in an earthquake. Vines cropped up out of nowhere. A portion of them caught my leg, but with a handy blade, I split them. Flowey screeched as I tried to flee.

"You will pay! You will pay with your blood!"

Flowey summoned the vines to get me again. I had no choice but to run. The vines were relentless in their pursuit, while my legs began to slowly degenerate.

After a while, I seemed to lose them. I sighed in relief, but as I went forward, I reached a pool of water.

"Aw, man!"

There was a great amount of standing water in between where I stood, and my next path. All around me, nothing was of great help. On the walls, there were murals and writings in a language one could not fully comprehend, for it consisted of wing dings and such that were not fully representative of the Roman font types.

In came a cloaked figure in a small wooden boat.

Or so it appeared; I did not expect the wooden boat to become a long-necked dog which could float on water.

The cloaked figure was not of similar bodily structure, but his presence was a mystery.

"When they reached the end, they marched inside little living boats and rode off to the sunset."

The figure gave a welcoming signal. Without further ado, I jumped in.

"I am the River Man," he said. "Stay still, and stay good in will!"

The vines loomed like speeding bullets, its water-resistant abilities giving it ability to appear out of anything imaginable, including hell. I had a feeling the wicked flower was a tortured soul who escaped from hell, and doomed to live with the sole purpose of leading people astray and causing havoc.

Either way, I was prey for a true, predatory psycho.

There was no one controlling the dog-boat. As I hid like a scared kitten, the River Man - as he introduced himself - began a resonant chant.

"Oh mighty vines of the earth," he chanted, "bring dead to your own seeds of misery and let live to our innocent children. Secure for us a good destiny."

A decent line of poetry; they remained music to my ears.

The words proved mightier than the actions that time around. Everything felt quiet but for the burbling of water underneath. Loud swishes I heard occasionally, when the dog-boat splashed itself playfully, soaking its tongue into the waters.

"The boat a thing of beauty," the River Man muttered. "Your safety is appreciated, although not my priority."

I could not make it out. "I am sorry, what was that?"

"Angel from above you are, angel descended to the bottom of the Earth, where life is good, life is bad, life is everything else that is better than death."

While the River Man was not the most fathomable of companions, his demeanor reads that of intellect. "No, I am not an angel."

"Oh!" the River Man uttered in shock. "Are you…the devil?"

"Of course not!" I exclaimed. "Look, sir, I appreciate your help. If not, I would've been eaten alive or something, by those vines…"

"The demon lives in some of us. Humankind, not angel, not devil, be not afraid, for there will be light to guide you. Always follow the light in here." He placed his right palm on where his heart was.

I nodded like the fool I was. "Thanks for telling me that. I appreciate it."

The River Man kept a watchful eye, but soon turned away. "It was my pleasure, gentle human. Tra la la la la…"

The 'elongated' boat marched on the river like the gentleness of a morning breeze. The clock indicated it was after midnight. The swishing of the rivers and the whispers of the wind remained a sweet, delightful and pleasurable sight. Even the River Man was in high spirits; he could be heard chanting to the tune of 'Brown Girl in the Ring'.

"Wait a minute," I spoke. "How do you know that song?"

"A wise man knows where to find his answers," was his sly remark. "The technology is all in my hands. Tra la la la la…" The voice faded out in a second.

"IDIOT!"

Flowey was a wave of desperation. "You left me, again! AAAARRRGGHHH!"

The frustrated flower burst to ripples of tears. "I…I…."

He bowed. "I am all alone. I have no one. No friend, no family, no…I have nothing! Nothing! NOTHING!"

"You keep running away…you…you're just like them. If you can hear me…you're no different. You will be captured, tortured, killed. That's the way it is here…"

Amidst his rush for human blood, Flowey could not contain the pain inside. "There is no other way!"

"I used to be just like you, but I…changed…into a lifeless, soulless, being. It hit me so bad, I can't stand it! I can't! I can't stand ME! It's a pain, don't you see?"

Flowey closed his eyes, but they soon reopened. "Don't you see…it is your turn to suffer?! That it is time for me to be free?!"

The wicked flower concealed in a deepening battle with itself. A resistance was existent, dim and grey but somewhat recognized. The essence of a child goat boy, all but a distant memory the flower could not fully comprehend.

 _A face from the past_.

The voice deep inside Flowey came alive. "Please…please…stop…this is not right…I need to…"

"NOOOOO!" the flower refused. "You listen to me! Remember, little kid, that in here, it is kill or be ki…"

The steps of shoes tapped on the ground, alarming Flowey.

"What? Who is there? Asriel?"

Flowey did not know. The internal voice - little Asriel - did not know, either.

A figure, in striking hood that covered all but his lips, stepped out of the shadows. "Madness could not be contained by madness," he spoke in a dense monologue, his voice muffled.

"Wh…Who are you?"

The figure kept silent, his hands in the pockets. He smiled, but that turned to a wide but passive grin.

"Hey!" Flowey's voice screamed of inquiry. "I asked you a question. Who are you?!"

The flower edged closer like a predatory python. "Who. In. The. World. Are. Y…"

The flower instantly felt significant force being applied around his neck. "AACCKK!"

"Say one more," the figure replied, "and I promise you will regret it."

"Oh, my God. You…you are…"

A wide smile was formed on his mostly hidden face. "Buckle up, little trash. It's about time I lend you a hand…"


	14. Chapter 14

Sans comforted what remained of Papyrus. He wept, for he arrived too late to save him.

Tears of anguish rained down the Skeleton's eye sockets. He wanted to avenge his brother, but by then, he was too late, for a figure in a hoodie unsuspectingly slashed his body from behind.

Sans cried tears of anguish, and lied on his injured back. A strong knife it was that struck him, the same used to kill Papyrus.

The hooded figure wasted no time in finishing the monster off. The same knife was used to severely disfigure the hapless skeleton…

A wide gasp. "Papyrus, NOOOO!"

Sans awoke from his slumber. He was surprised to be in bed, as a Monster and not some dispelled dust.

His brother overheard the yelling. "Brother, is everything all right?"

"Huh? Paps?"

"Yes, brother? What seems to be the problem? Why are you yelling?"

Sans told his brother to come closer, and come closer he did. The teary-eyed, helpless skeleton hugged his sibling tight. "I am glad it is just a dream. I thought I would never see you again."

Papyrus sighed, clapping his brother's back. "Oh, brother, you are doing it again. I am _always_ here for you. Do not worry!"

A cup of coffee each was enough to make the tears subside. The comfort of togetherness; being in a functional family brightened Sans's mood.

"Sans," Papyrus said. "Are you feeling better now?"

Sans gently blew the coffee before taking a sip. "Sure, bro. Better."

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Papyrus. "I am proud to see you in better shape."

Sans nodded. "Sure, Paps. Anything for you."

"But Sans," Papyrus hesitated. "Lately, I notice you have been waking up in the middle of the night, and you were often screaming your bones out!"

Sans sighed. "Good one, bro."

"You seem to be in a world of trouble, brother," Papyrus suspected. "Please, tell me, what is the matter? Maybe we can try to sort it out…"

Sans was stony-faced. He could not make out ways to explain his dream. That he wanted to tell the truth, but at the same time avoid discomfort to the listening Papyrus, it was a tricky and hurtful situation.

Soon, the little skeleton sighed. He knew he had to do the right thing. "Paps, it is the human."

Papyrus' sipping of his favorite coffee came to an unsuspecting halt. "Eh? The human? Our human?"

"You heard me right."

"But, I have not seen the human, ever since he left to venture the Waterfall. Sans, did you dream about the human?" Papyrus' quizzical tone turned to a questionable grin. "Ah, you miss him!"

"The human needs to be kept a close eye on, bro."

Papyrus looked puzzled.

"In my dream, something, or someone, vandalized and tortured this place. That thing came equipped with a sharp knife…no, wait, a blade!"

"A blade?!"

"Yeah, and…" Sans tried to avoid going to the part that hurt him the most. "He killed many. Many of us."

Papyus gasped. "That…that is horrible! Sans, you are having a horrible dream!"

"Hard to admit, but you're right this time," Sans replied.

"But, what does this have to do with the human?" Papyus enquired.

Sans replied, "Like I said, we need to keep a close eye on the human…"

Papyrus stared at Sans; his face resembled questions, and he looked like he did not sit well with his older brother's stance. He knew firsthand human Biron's attitude, but he wondered what was also going through Sans's mind.

"But Sans," Papyrus said, "remember when I say this, that the dreams just do not happen, they are not exactly real."

"They may not be real for _now_ ," Sans continued, "but the feeling, I cannot take it." Sans took a deep breath. "I know it's hard, but bro, we need this. Not gonna let anyone ruin our day."

Papyrus cast a face of reluctance. He nodded without question. "Understood, brother." A smile soon etched on his face. "Fear not, dear brother-"

Sans shrugged.

Papyrus carried on, "For it is a new day! Now, what do you say we leave this trouble behind head out with joy on our faces!"

 _I don't wanna lose you, just as much as I don't want to lose me. I don't wanna lose the human, too, if that can be helped…_


	15. Chapter 15

"Here you go, little one."

I was flattered. "Where are we, exactly?"

"Legend has it, piles of unwanted material disintegrates and decomposes in this very place."

The metaphor of a garbage dump impressed me to no end. Still, I savored the sight of the damp area that also housed a few brown dummies.

I was under the assumption, the rules of the jungle apply in the dump, just like it did in the other places I streamed through while in the Underground. Nevertheless, I took the liberty to explore, for it was an activity I loved.

The River Person left me to my eccentricities, so I was alone again, although the feeling of a wild flower keeping eye on me was still giving me chills.

But nobody was there. Nobody came.

 _Nobody dares to make a mess, thank God for that._

The four brown dummies stared into my soul, their minimal expression proved unconvincing. Never was I a fan of their kind, even in the surface world. The most I saw them were in fashion outlets when going on trips with Mom, Dad and my little sister.

I walked away, looking forward for a brand new day, according to my _good old_ watch.

In my mind, it could well be some raging pulses in the neurons because of my conditioning. The gut feeling was not of confidence, but of suspicion. I swore the devil was not far off. It could well be that he was sharpening his pitchfork, ready to strike while the iron is hot.

And so it appeared.

Mimicking the sound of a basketball passing through the hoops, one of the dummies emerged out of its shell. It no longer resembled its brothers and sisters, but rather it looked like it had gotten a touch of sunburn.

"You ignored me," it said.

I was dumbfounded. "Huh?"

"You IGNORED me, you stupid buffoon! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!"

My head scratching mood turned on. "Eh? I do not know what this means…"

"You came down here with intentions that no one else sees," the dummy muttered, "but I do! You are just another evil kid from Upstate! EVIL! EVIL! EVIL!" The lifeless vessel presented his ragdoll-like flexibility as it screamed in anger.

"Whoa, there!" I raised my index finger. "For the record, you are not me, and I am just passing by."

"PASSING BY?! How EEEEVIILLLL!"

"You are mad…"

"And you are going down!"

Dozens of plain white knives emerged, surrounding the mad dummy. I could sense imminent danger, so I instantly made a run for it.

There were not many hiding places in the garbage dump, but I had to make do with anything at that moment. Never mind the distasteful odor permeating from the piles of abandoned clothes and cassette tapes. They were of low priority.

Gasping for breath, I maintained my silence underneath rubble of tall sand.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" The dummy chuckled.

I was invisible. This drove the dummy even madder. "Not showing up? Again?!"

From afar, I witnessed its telekinetic abilities on full display. It lifted its 'brother', then tossed a knife which hit the 'brother' on the head.

"Just a model," it said, "but if you wanna know…I was a star! STAR! STAR! STAR!"

The frequent adjective repetition made the dummy look like a crybaby. I was also wondering if there was something inside the dummy. How one out of five was able to perform telekinesis and talk, while the others remained silent, beats me.

The dummy carried on, "It was me who was the hot one in the five piece boy-band. Me, Napsta, Metta, and some two lowlifes that wanted nothing more than to be popular. Heck, of everyone, I was the real talent. The spotlight was on me. ME! ME! ME!"

Again with the repetition, but the dummy changed, its 'face' resembling a more cheerful facade. "Heck, I remember those hits. 'Quit Playing With My Monster Soul', which I wrote. I sang lead vocals, while the rest did backing. Then, other cool songs that Napsta and I wrote together. 'The Monster's Ball' is the very best that we made, but somehow after all that…AFTER ALL THAT, the Monsters love Metta! UNFAIR! UNFAIR! UNFAIR!"

The former musician seemed to have hit rock bottom by the looks of things, his ramblings giving new meaning to the trials of life.

"I used to be a cool Ghost Monster," the dummy bowed and frowned. "But ever since Metta got that shiny upgrade by that clumsy doctor friend of his, everyone loved him! Yeah, sure, he looks cool and all, more like those humans who sing on live TV, but I'm waaayyy better than him. Metta is nothing more than a fragile Monster who masks his own weaknesses. FRAGILE! FRAGILE! FRAGILE!"

The mad dummy sighed. "There was a quarrel. Metta, being the aspiring celebrity he is, quit the band, and the Monsters of the Underground followed him! My hard work, and they followed him! Poor Napsta and I were forced to call it quits, while the two other morons got lost. I am glad they got lost anyway. Those useless beggars. USELESS!"

"The Monsters ignored me. Our so-called fans ignored me. I was left to rot, while Metta hogged on the spotlight on his own. Amazing how a few aesthetic changes could make and break a career, don't you think?" The dummy winked. "From that day on, I resorted to DESTROY anyone who ignores me! They must RESPECT ME! RESPECT! RESPECT! RESPECT!"

My hiding was not taken lightly at all. It took a while, but it eventually spotted my hair spikes and pulled it like nobody's business.

I gave it a little bite on the arm, and it growled menacingly. I was able to be free from its grip.

"STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!" it screamed in a horrendous manner, and then sliced its way through piles of dirt to get to me.

Impatience got the better of me. "STOP! STOP! STOOOOPPP!"

Fortunately, the dummy understood simple English. Thus, there he was, staring at me like some mad gorilla.

I turned to face him. "Look," I said, "I am not an ignorant person. I do not ignore talented people. You are talented, got to give it to you, but…"

"You do not mean it."

I gulped. "Excuse me?"

"YOU DO NOT MEAN IT! I shall destroy you now!"

I could feel gravity betraying me. My body was lifted beyond my control. The dummy had the privilege of tossing and turning me round the dump. Food residues landed on my body, making it smell more intolerable.

There was no chance to do anything. I was stuck; nowhere to run or hide. Then I heard a mutter.

"Uhh…let him go," a voice crept out from afar.

The dummy was startled. "Wha-? Who?"

A milky white ghost came before us. With headphones fixed to its head, it was uncertain to me, how he was able to keep a track of things.

"Let the human go," the ghost stuttered. "He did not harm you…"

"To hell with that, Napsta!" the dummy replied in rage. "This human is an abomination, and a disrespectful peasant. Heck, he's just like my so-called fans! I shall kill him now. Perhaps eating his soul will make me more beautiful."

The ghost, 'Napsta' as he was called, shook his head. "That is not…uhh…not the right thing to do…" He looked petrified. "Uhh…please, Carterblook…please let it go…"

The dummy refused. "Not gonna fall for that! NO! NO! NO!"

"Not again!" I screamed.

It seemed I tried its patience, thus it greeted me with a head butt. "Ooofff!"

The dummy turned back to its ghost friend. "You do not make the rules here, Nappy! Besides, all you do here is sleep. SLEEP! SLEEP! SLEEP!"

Napstablook's eyes widened. "But…I…I make songs…"

"Yeah, songs that make Shyren and the two idiots look like a deity."

At that moment, Napstablook snapped. In an instant, he performed a jumping head butt to the mad dummy. The dummy fell on a box full of chocolate, but as it tried to recover, Napstablook head butted it again.

"Wooooo…" Napstablook chanted a mantra, which was more than enough to send the dummy spiraling off the dump, never to be seen again.

"Thanks," I told Napsta. "I owe you one."

The ghost stammered a bit, but then he replied, "No problem…I am sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"For Carterblook."

"Wh-what is a Carterblook?"

"He…he just ran away…just now."

"Oh," I scratched my head. "So, it's a male ghost Monster."

"Yes…we are one family of music lovers…we make music…ohh…"

Tears rained down Napsta's eyes. "It is sad that Metta is no longer with us…he is always doing his shows and staying in his new resort in Hotland…I am sad because he…he used to live with me…ohh…"

Never would I like to see anyone - or anything for that matter - cry helplessly. I took my time to comfort the ghost, but the tears would dry out fast. Napsta then noticed my shoulder wound and offered to help, but I refused.

"You might get a fever...oh, I have a bandage!"

"It is all right," I assured him. "It has dried out, so I am all right now. Actually, I am a little bruised…"

"Come walk with me…uhh, come on and follow me…"

With no regard to his motives, I followed him to his home, where I got treated with bandages anyway. He offered food, too, but I could not even hold it to begin with, so I digressed.

Napsta was kind-hearted yet stubborn, too, but nonetheless he proved to be very friendly. The occasional stammering commonplace, but his overall vocabulary was not a challenge to fathom.

"I want to play my music," Napsta muttered. "Do you wanna hear?"

I nodded. "Why not?"

Napsta plugged in his tape player and turned on his mix-tape, which output a soothing anthem that oozed calmness and tranquility. As my eyes closed, I could see the forming of the universe, followed by the adorable little stars that surround it. The stars took baby steps to move around, but that made it more pleasurable. _My life seems complete now_ , I thought as the beautiful image occupied my mind.

Napsta, on the other hand, lay down beside me, but his eyes were fixed to the ceiling. I wonder if he was thinking the same as me, or something else. His large headphones were fixed to his head. He murmured for a while, but was hardly a nuisance. I hoped I was not one to him.


	16. Chapter 16

The enjoyment was paramount. In spite of his passiveness and shyness, the little ghost was a charm. I enjoyed the mixtapes just as much as seeing him creating some. At least it adds to my knowledge base a little, which is something that could prove handy in the future.

Perhaps I might even surprise the Tomasso twins back at home with the tapes I copied from Napsta. _They are not the only ones who can make music._

I left Napsta's residence, only to hear a chuckle so familiar it was hardly a surprise, for this face I saw once too many times in the whole of the Underground.

"Oh, Sans," I mumbled. "I thought you are on duty today."

"I was," Sans replied with a menacing chuckle. He resembled an anxious being, indecisive but also incalculable. "Hey, uh…y'heard of something called a talking flower?"

I nodded. "Sure. I saw plenty of them near the waterfall. What is it with them?"

Sans responded like he saw a ghost. "Oh, yeah…that's them all right."

I got closer. "Sans, is anything wrong? Tell me, please."

Sans moved an inch away. "No, no! Stop!"

"Eh?" It defeated me, what the pint-sized skeleton was afraid of. I did not recall anything. I, for one, did not steal his wallet.

The skeleton fixed his jacket. "Heh. It's nothing. I just…"

The silence unsettled me a bit. "You yelled at me and said it was nothing. Are you kidding me?! Come on, spill it out." I folded my arms. "I'm waiting."

Sans' focus was elsewhere. He was occupied with the trees and the rivers, or so it appeared. Eventually, he turned to me with a look that spelled out 'I'm gonna rip you apart', though I was not sure if his intention was that sincere. With Sans, you never know.

"Look, kid," Sans tried to muster on. "I lied."

"About what?" I questioned.

He sighed. "About the talking flowers."

"What about them again?"

"You deserve to know," Sans said. "Lately, my brother has been getting these dreams, predictions about what was going to happen in the coming days. Paps said he got it from a talking flower, which I believe I have come across not long ago. In fact, I have had fishy dreams of my own. Even though not directly related to Paps's, but I am not sure whether or not they are related in any way." Sans took a breather before he continued. "I missed something…"

I shook. "Whoa! This is heavy stuff_"

"That is not all," Sans retorted. "In my dream, or should I say, my nightmare, Paps…" Sans bowed. "Paps is dead. My dear brother, killed in action, by someone I cannot explain…"

The discussion of a flower, and the talking variation, brought me back to my own nightmares; my encounters with the dastardly devilish Flowey. "Oh, I think I know who, or what, the talking flower is, all right."

"So you have met him."

I tried my best to tell Sans everything I knew. He stood listening, his hands fixed inside his deep pockets. "He tried to kill me, three times. I do not doubt he will try again, but fingers crossed. I guess I was a little lucky. I bit his vines the first time, while some dude in a river boat saved my butt the last time. It looks like I need a miracle to hang on."

Sans did not look surprised. "The flower, or Flowey the Flower as Paps like to call, is one hell of a demon. But hey, you've made it this far. He's got nothing on you."

I attempted to differentiate. "You sure about this?"

"Positive, kid," he responded with a wink. "Besides, he cannot outrun me. You know what I am capable of, so you can only guess what I can do to him." Sans' right eye socket beamed.

I watched as Sans tossed a kitten away from the path of a bicycle, and then putting the kitten on top of a tree, all that without touching the kitten with his bony hands. A minute later, his eyes were like normal again, though he still remained an unpredictable Monster.

"Yeah," I nodded with pleasure, "but you cannot defeat an immovable object."

"To hell with that," Sans remarked slyly. "I do as I please. The flower has to go. Kid, if you see him again, gimme a ring, will ya?"

I accepted the invitation, even though the suspicions hanging around myself and Sans did nothing to keep the friendship strong. Either I have one friend and one enemy, or I could be tossed into another me-against-the-world debacle.


End file.
